Overall Member Rating

Girls Weekend Cruise on Enchantment

Five girlfriends and I went on the three day Bahamas cruise on Enchantment. Being a Florida native, I have been on this weekend cruise many, many times. I enjoyed this cruise very much and would recommend the Enchantment and the weekend cruise. Four of my girlfriends and I were in a Junior Suite on Deck 8. There was more than enough space for four women (and all our crazy luggage) and plenty of storage space. The Junior Suite included a bathtub, which was very nice. We had one of the dreaded poles in our cabin, but it really was not a big deal.

Arriving at port was super easy and we were onboard within minutes. The Windjammer was crazy for lunch. I wish they would offer dining room service the first day like other cruise lines offer. We also hit the lunch cafe by the Adult Pool.... Next time I'm on Enchantment I will head right for this cafe and avoid the Windjammer on the first day. Our luggage arrived without problems and we enjoyed lying out by the adult only pool. The More
head waiter was kind enough to adjust our seating arrangement to accommodate our group of 8. We were able to ask before there was a line and it was very easy. We also put our name in for a cabana on Coco Cay. Of course, they were already sold out and I'm kind of convinced they hold reservations to accommodate those in higher-end suites or for folks on concierge level. We settled for cabinettes instead (more on that later).

I always enjoy stopping in Nassau. There are enough nice places to go so that it's an enjoyable stay. This time, we opted for the Wyndam and Crystal Palace Casino on Cable Beach. It's a lovely resort. We got day passes... $20 included lounge chair, beach access, towels, and non-motorized sports. We had lunch at the beach bar outside. The food was good but the service was horrible. Next time we'll have lunch onboard and skip paying for food elsewhere. Our nice cab driver also offered to stop for us at the Fish Fry. That would be a good option for next time too. For those who like to gamble, during the extremely low season (September and most of October) the Crystal Palace Casino doesn't open until 4pm. There are NO table games until late October. I had fun playing blackjack at the machine and drinking Kalik. Before making our way back to the ship we made our obligatory stop at the straw market. I was able to negotiate all prices. I found it helpful if I had the cash already out of my purse and said, "this is all I have."

Coco Cay is a lovely stop. In addition to the Enchantment, the Majesty was also there (we heard the scheduled changed for the Majesty due to port construction in Nassau). Even with two ships at Coco Cay, there was still plenty of room and plenty of lounge chairs. Since we were unable to get a cabana we opted for the cabinettes. Unfortunately, unless you ask the right questions it's not obvious what you get when you order up a cabinette. We had to scout out a person to help us... and still had trouble finding a person who could assist us with our cabinette reservation after three crew members were unable to help. We eventually found a person who knew and we learned we could be transported to the cabinettes via golf cart. Just know, if you decide to book the cabinettes, they are located on barefoot beach. Barefoot beach is beautiful but very out of the way from the Coco Cay festivities. That is, it's far from food, bathrooms, and a very, very far walk back to the tenders. If you like being alone and don't mind walking (or getting the golf cart to help) the cabinettes are a good choice. Unfortunately, since I was in a group of six girls (and the majority of the girls didn't like the inconvenience of the cabinettes) we didn't end up using them. Once we explained to the Dive Master our situation, they were very understanding, and our money was refunded later on in the evening. Next time, I'll find one girl in my party that likes the cabinettes and just get one for ourselves. I think it's worth it as I like being "away from it all" and the beach is beautiful. Price was $50 for two chairs in semi shade with fruit and bottled water included.

I only attended one show while onboard. I attended the Broadway show on the last night. Like I said, I have been on a lot of cruises and seen a lot of cruise shows. This was the absolute worst. The Broadway shows the cruise chose to highlight were boring old and flat out weird choices. Of course this one bad show will not discourage me from cruising or going to cruise shows. But, this was one the worst.

A note about balcony construction and getting letters from Guest Services while onboard: On our Coco Cay day, we received a note in our cabin explaining there would be construction on our balcony from 8am to 4pm. We did not think much of it, as we were on our way to Coco Cay. One of the women in our group stayed behind... but was awakened by lots of racket and loud men working on the balcony. In all fairness, we received a note to warn us. But, it was non-stop construction for all eight hours. What's worse, the men kept coming and going. So, it required the curtains being closed at all times for privacy. At 3pm we had enough and complained to Guest Services. Guest Services told us if we didn't want the construction, we should have called the night before to decline the service. I had no idea this was even an option. So I said that I would like the construction to stop immediately so we could enjoy the Jr Suite and Balcony we paid extra for. Well, of course they could not stop the project mid-day or mid-way complete. When I pushed further, the Guest Services attendant explained for our inconvenience we would be awarded 30% off a future cruise. This made me happy (as I knew my group of girls would cruise again) and left the desk feeling empowered. What was NOT explained to me was to REALLY read the letter received from Guest Services when it arrives. Like I said, the Guest Services person explained we would be given 30% off a future cruise. But the letter said 30% off a cruise fare based on the current sailing. This is VERY different than what was communicated to me at the desk. So, please learn from my mistake..... read any inconvenience letters delivered to your cabin very carefully. If you don't like the language, go to Guest Services and hopefully have it adjusted.

Another note: We used a local travel agent. I didn't care for the service. We didn't seem to get a better rate. And since we used a travel agent, Royal Caribbean would not help us with our reservation when we called to request help/services. Once onboard, we were able to be helped of course. I find it easier to book directly with RCI or online.

Even though we had a few misadventures, it was a great weekend vacation and I'm looking forward to cruise on the Enchantment again. I would recommend the weekend cruise for couples, singles, and adults of any age. I would recommend the 4-day Enchantment cruise for families. Thank you for reading. Less